


It's not easy to get tony stark to rest...unless you're peter parker

by casual irondad (Padfootastic)



Series: peter's one badass mf [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: BAMF Peter Parker, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Overworked Tony Stark, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Takes Care Of Tony, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Peter Parker, Tired Tony Stark, because even iron man needs some looking after, even tony stark needs a break, for good reason, he is so loved by everyone, his kids worship him, pepper is a queen we stan, pete's an angel, peter and the bots and friday, peter would do anything for his mentor, tony has 4 kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22417138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Padfootastic/pseuds/casual%20irondad
Summary: Where Tony is running himself ragged. Pepper can't see him go on like this and calls for backup. Which comes in the form of one determined spiderboi, one omniscient AI, and two overexcited bots.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony and his kids, including the bots
Series: peter's one badass mf [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613317
Comments: 17
Kudos: 621





	It's not easy to get tony stark to rest...unless you're peter parker

**Author's Note:**

> man im terrible at titles. seriously. i feel like i need to hire someone to select a title for me. (im actually writing this note before ive written the title, so that should tell u something) 
> 
> anyway. i was on a kick yesterday, hence this. i hope yall like it 
> 
> like, share, comment, subscribe, all that good stuff~

Peter was a spiderboi on a mission. He’d gotten a text from Ms. Potts (Pepper Potts!!! CEO Pepper Potts!!) a while ago, asking him if he can come over to the Tower. Apparently, there was some sort of emergency she needed his help with. Of course, Peter being who he was, his mind immediately went to aliens and nukes and destruction, so he put on his suit and swung as fast as he could, making it to Stark Tower (it was renamed after the...Civil War. Peter was really glad about that) in record time. 

He entered through a window FRIDAY opened, and immediately found Ms. Potts (!!!) waiting for him. He quickly took off his mask and waved hello at her. 

“Hi, sweetheart.” she smiled, and his heart skipped a beat. How many people can say that the Queen Pepper Potts herself had called them sweetheart? “I’m so sorry for calling you like this, but I wasn’t quite sure what else to do.” 

“No no no, it’s totally fine, Ms. Potts,” Peter rushed to assure her, “I wasn’t doing anything important anyway. What’s this about? Is it Avengers business? Do you need Spider-Man for something?” 

“Ah no.” It was only because Peter was watching her so closely that he saw the flash of tiredness and helplessness that flickered across her face, scaring him a bit. What could have happened to incite those feelings in her? 

“I’m afraid the problem’s a bit more...domestic. No supervillains this time.” 

Peter cocked his head at that. What else could he be called for? And come to think of it, why did Ms. Potts text him? He usually didn’t interact with her. Where was Mr. Stark? 

“It’s Tony-” 

“Oh my god, I can’t believe I didn’t think about that, is he fine? Is he hurt? Ms. Potts, I-” 

“Peter, Peter, Peter, calm down, honey,” she rushed to place a hand on his shoulder, squeezing just enough to ground him. Blinking rapidly, Peter realized he had almost worked himself into a panic attack, again. He really needed to get a grip on himself. He wasn’t helpful to anyone this way. 

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine, sorry, Ms. Potts, won’t happen again.” 

She gave him a look, and his cheeks burned but she went on, thankfully not saying anything about his little episode. 

“Right. So, Tony’s been in his lab for over four days now and he hasn’t come out once. I haven’t seen any food go in either, so I’m afraid he’s surviving on just coffee and the granola bars he’s stashed in there. And based on his track record, I’m pretty sure he’s not slept in that time either.” 

Peter’s jaw dropped. Four days without food, water, or sleep? Now, he’d be the first to admit he doesn’t follow a very healthy schedule either, and that he’s gone an outrageous amount of time without those things as well, but never that long. He couldn’t fathom how Mr. Stark was still alive if this is how he took care of himself. 

“The reason I called you here is because Tony doesn’t listen to me anymore. That’s one downside of being with for so many years. He knows all my tricks, so he can evade them if he so wishes. It’s just that he usually doesn't. This  _ isn’t _ one of those times. So you have an advantage.” 

“...which is?” Peter asked suspiciously. 

“You’ve got him completely wrapped around your pinky finger. He could never deny you anything, and I’m pretty sure you’re the only person who can get him out right now,” Pepper commented casually, as if she hadn’t just turned Peter’s entire world upside down. 

“I-Wha- _ What _ ?” Peter couldn’t even form a sentence at this point. What did Ms. Potts mean? Why would Mr. Stark care so much about him? He was just an intern, nothing more. And sure, they’d gotten really close in the past few months, especially after the whole Homecoming fiasco, and yeah, they spent more time talking and hanging out than not, and okay maybe, Mr. Stark cares about him because the only other people he’s so open and affectionate with is Ms. Potts, Mr. Rhodey, and Happy (who he’s known for years!!) so Peter could concede that Mr. Stark doesn’t completely dislike his company. There’s some affection there, but to this extent? That he could make Mr. Stark do something he doesn't want to? 

Peter wasn’t so sure about that. 

“Peter, honey,” her voice softened, probably noticing the panic in his eyes. Why was he panicking? Fuck if he knew, but it was very real. 

“You know Tony considers you his kid, right? You’re probably the closest thing he’ll ever have to a child. He cares so, so much about you. The way he is around you, I’ve never seen him like that, and I’ve known him for a decade. Hell, you can ask Rhodey if you want, he’s known him for over 30 years, and I don’t think even he’s seen Tony like this around anyone. It might be a bit overwhelming for you, and that’s okay, but never doubt how much he cares about you, okay?” 

Her hand moved from his shoulder to cup the side of his face, and Peter honestly didn’t know what to say. He was a little confused, but mostly happy. He’d been looking up to Mr. Stark as a paternal figure for a while now, but he’d kept all of it to himself for fear of alienating the man. Even now he wasn’t sure he’d tell him about it, but at least he wasn’t completely insecure about those feelings anymore. 

However, this wasn’t the time for all this. He could figure out his relationship with Mr. Stark at a later time. What was important now was that he somehow wrangle the man into taking a break. And he knew he couldn’t do it alone. No matter how much Ms. Potts believed in his abilities, Peter still felt he fell a bit short. But that was fine, he had backup. 

* * *

‘Hey, FRIDAY?” Peter called out a few minutes later. He was in the kitchen, and he was preparing a quick meal for Mr. Stark. If he hadn’t eaten anything in so long, then he needed to slowly ease the man into eating, which meant something light and nutritious. 

“Yes, Peter?” He loved the AI’s Irish lilt, even though it often made him forget that she wasn’t an actual human being. 

“I’m gonna need your help with something, yeah? It’s for Mr. Stark.” 

“Of course, I’d be happy to assist you in any way I can. I’ve been...worried about Boss as well.” Peter was sure he could hear a note of concern in her voice, and it just made him feel unbearably proud of Mr. Stark and FRIDAY. 

“Alright, great. So first thing, I’m gonna need you to give me entry into the lab. I’ll use my override code if I have to. I’m just going to quickly whip up something to eat for him, and after he’s done with that, we need to ensure he goes to sleep.”

“That can be arranged. You don’t have to use your override code. I know it only has one use allowed. I do have some pull with who can enter the lab, you know? My first priority is Boss’ health and safety, and since yours is too, I see no problems in letting you go in despite the Lockdown protocol.” 

“God, Fri, I love you, you know that? You’re the best.” Peter declared. He was quickly adding the final touches to the simple garlic pasta he’d prepared. On the side, he scooped out some coconut ice cream (just a bit! It was Mr. Stark’s favorite, and he couldn’t just skip over it) in a bowl and set it on the tray beside the pasta and a small salad he’d prepared. He looked critically at the spread before nodding. It won’t be too heavy and Mr. Stark wouldn’t fuss too much either. Perfect. 

‘Alright, Fri, the food’s done,” he announced. “The next thing I need you to do is pass on a message to DUM-E, You, and Butterfingers. Tell them to get the pull-out bed prepared in the corner. The one we secretly ordered the last time, remember?” 

“Of course, Peter. Boss still doesn’t know it exists, something I guess works out in your favor right now.” 

“Indeed it does, Fri. Tell the bots to have a pillow and the softest blanket they could manage laid out as well. I want to ensure Mr. Stark has the best rest possible.” 

With the sleeping and food arrangements done, Peter went through his mental list once more to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything. One small part of his brain recognized how ridiculous it was to go through all this to get one man to sleep, but a larger part recognized that while Mr. Stark would do anything for others, he wasn’t as generous with himself. He’d run himself ragged without realizing it, and needed someone else to look after him. 

But Peter didn’t mind. The man had done so much for him, taking care of him and his aunt without any obligations to do so. He’d welcomed them into his family and for that, Peter would always be grateful. He  _ wanted _ to take care of Mr. Stark and now was the time. 

Finally satisfied that he had everything in order, Peter took the tray and headed towards the lab. As he got closer, he winced at the sound of the loud rock music that seemed to shake the whole room. He made sure to signal to FRIDAY to turn the volume down to an acceptable level because he was sure his sensitive eardrums would burst if he entered the lab like that. 

After a few seconds, there was the sound of the door unlocking, which made Peter smile. He really did adore FRIDAY. He entered the lab, thankful the volume was manageable now. 

Placing the tray on a nearby table (probably the only one that was free of clutter- the place was a mess), he looks around and his eyes widen in horror when he finally spots Mr. Stark. 

The man was standing in front of an Iron Man suit (a prototype, by the looks of it), holding a welding machine in his hand. Which would’ve been fine, had it not been for a couple things. 

For one, he had completely ignored all the lab safety protocols and was holding the tool with his bare hands. He didn’t have a mask on, and he was barefoot.  _ Barefoot _ . Why would anyone be barefoot in a lab, an extremely dangerous lab, in the first place? 

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, he looked like he had a year's worth of dark circles under his eyes, his right hand was trembling (probably from excessive caffeine, Peter figured), and his heartbeat was so erratic Peter genuinely feared for the man’s life. No exaggeration there. 

Releasing a deep breath, Peter quickly but calmly walked towards the man and waited until he’d taken a break with the welding. It would be completely counterproductive to interrupt him in the middle of what was already an unnecessarily dangerous task. He didn’t want the man to go to the MedBay after all. 

“Mr. Stark?” he called out softly, not wanting to startle the man. He was already jittery enough. But he should’ve known he wouldn’t have heard him. So he tried again, a bit louder. And louder. Until he had to shout in his ear, something he was really trying to avoid. 

“MR. STARK!” 

As expected, the older man jumped at the sudden shout, his fingers letting go of the welding machine (luckily, Peter was prepared for that so he caught it before it broke anything) and quickly turning around with wide eyes. 

“Wha-I-Wh-Peter?” Took a while, but his eyes cleared up enough to focus on the sheepish looking teen. 

“Hey, Mr. Stark,” Peter greeted happily, complete with a little wave. As if he didn’t just give his mentor an almost heart attack. 

“I-What are you doing here? I thought I put the lab on lockdown.” That last part was directed at FRIDAY, but Peter was the one to answer it. 

“Yes, you did. But um, it’s been a little too long, so I decided to come in and gently coax you into taking a break. You know, as normal human beings do?” 

Mr. Stark sent him an extremely unimpressed glare. Okay, so he wasn’t in the mood for humor. Peter could work with that, yep. 

“Look, Mr. Stark, I’m gonna level with you. Ms. Potts is concerned about you. Mr. Rhodey is concerned about you-” _ not that he’d even seen the man, but Mr. Stark didn’t have to know that _ \- “Happy is worried about you-”  _ again, same but hey, he was sure if he’d met them, they’d express their concern too! _ \- “And I’m worried about you.” 

“You’ve been here an unhealthily long amount of time, and I think it’s time you take some rest, yeah?” 

Nope. Not that easy. Mr. Stark still had the expression on his face. 

“Look, Pete, I appreciate what you’re saying but I simply can’t take a break right now. I have too much work to do and not enough time to do it. Plus, I’ve done this multiple times, it’s nothing new for me. So, I’d really love it if you’d just leave and let me be for a while, hm?” With that, he turned away dismissively, as if the conversation was over.

Now, Peter was all prepared for anger and irritation and tiredness. Which was why his mentor’s crabby demeanour had absolutely no effect on him. Any other day and it might have reduced him to an insecure mess, but not today. Today Peter Parker was on a mission and he would not let his anxiety ruin things. 

“Uh-huh, that sounds great, Mr. Stark, truly. Totally get where you come from,” Peter nodded his head sagely, injecting as much understanding into his voice as he could. “But I think you’d do better work if you had some food in your stomach, no? Don’t want you to burn yourself out before you finish your work.”

He could hear Mr. Stark take a deep breath before turning around to face his intern again. Peter could detect more than a little frustration in his eyes this time. (He also took a second to really look at the man. He looked terrible, honestly. His eyes were sunken in, his skin was pale and waxy, and his hair was incredibly greasy, probably a combination of natural oils and motor oil,) 

But before the man could speak- no doubt, his words would be scathing this time. Tony Stark was a lot of things, but patient he was not- Peter cut in. 

“Look, Mr. Stark, I’m not here to argue with you. That’s the last thing I wanna do. I don’t think its physically possible to even argue with my idol, you know? I certainly don’t think it is. But I’m so worried about you, and I really wanted to do something for you. You do so much for me and I can’t even repay you for a little bit of it. I feel like such an ungrateful ass, you know?” 

Being the little shit he was, he even added in a small, totally realistic sniffle. There was no harm in playing on the man’s heartstrings, was there? Ms. Potts mentioned that he had a soft spot for Peter, so he was gonna take advantage of that. 

“I didn’t know what else I could do. I just made you some food. It’s nothing fancy, really simple pasta and stuff. It doesn’t even taste that great, I don't think. Plus, you’re used to really high-quality food, but it’s the only thing I could make, really, and I just really wanted to do something for you, you know? It’s alright if you don’t wanna eat it, I totally get it-” 

Just as expected, Mr. Stark cut in while he was rambling. If there was one thing that got him to cave, it was Peter being self-deprecating (something he had a lot of practice in). 

“I-Okay kid, no need to say that. I’m sure whatever you made is fine,” he sighed tiredly, “You went through all that trouble. I’d feel like an ass if I said no. But I’m telling you-” here, he sternly pointed at him- “After the food, you’re gonna leave, and I’m gonna continue my work okay?” 

“As you say, Mr. Stark,” Peter readily agreed. He was pretty sure this would happen and his mind was already working on how he’d get the man to sleep after the food. It wouldn’t be too much of an issue though, he had FRIDAY and the bots with him. 

He quickly led Mr. Stark to the couch (with the pull-out bed that was already prepped by the bots, bless their little mechanical hearts), placed a small portable table over his lap, and kept the tray on it. 

“Damn kid, you really went all out, huh?” Mr. Stark mumbled, hands already reaching for the ice cream. (He loved having dessert before the actual food). Peter smiled but didn’t say anything. 

While he kept one eye on his mentor, he took his phone out and sent a quick text to FRIDAY’s servers. 

_ ‘hey fri, everything’s going acc to the plan. slowly so he doesnt notice, dim the lights to 30% yeah? And phase out the rock and rock. its time to bring out the real weapons; calming beach waves, rly low vol, barely heard. oh n tell the bots to get ready with the sandalwood and lavender scents. lowest intensity for now. thx n luv u.’ _

Oh yeah, he was prepared.

While he was texting, Mr. Stark had inhaled his ice cream and moved onto the pasta. As soon as he ate it, his eyes widened in astonishment. It was the most emotion the man had shown since Peter had walked in. 

“Pete, this is amazing! You didn’t tell me you could cook,” he admonished lightly. 

The teen scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “Yeah, well. It’s just something I picked up on over the years. You’ve eaten May’s food, it’s...not the best, so I started cooking for the two of us. And well, here I am. I can make a decent pasta.” 

“Decent? Kid, this stuff is gold. Right up there with the pasta I’ve had at Michelin star restaurants. Don’t sell yourself short, huh?” Peter’s cheeks reddened with the compliment. Mr. Stark really did make him out to be more than he was. But at least he was eating, and at the pace he was going, he’d be finished really soon. 

Peter fought the urge to get him more food. He knew this wouldn’t be nearly enough, and that the man would be starving when he woke up, but he also knew that too much food would just overwhelm his empty stomach and would probably make him puke. But he seemed satisfied for now, so Peter was able to resist getting up. 

“Well,” his mentor smacked his lips lightly, “That was a wonderful meal, thank you, Peter. I’m looking forward to eating more of your cooking sometime, but now I have to go back to my w-work.” 

Peter had to resist the urge to grin triumphantly when the man’s words slurred a little at the end, though he tried valiantly to not let it show. Just as he thought, the full stomach, soothing scent, and calming background music were doing its thing. He just had to keep the man on the couch for a while longer, and he’d go to sleep on his own. 

Biting his lip, he made a split-second decision. Time to bring out the emotional manipulation once again. 

“Mr-Mr. Stark?” he said hesitantly, eyes downcast, trying to make himself look as small as he could. Predictably, said man looked up sharply at the tone. 

“What’s wrong, Peter?” he immediately asked, voice laced with concern. It never ceased to amaze Peter how this man cared so intensely. Here he was, almost dead on his feet, and he still gathered the energy to worry about him. God. 

“I-I...It’s just, I had a nightmare today, and it was, it kind of, I-” he took a deep breath, seemingly steeling himself, “Actually you know what? Nevermind. You’re really busy right now and I shouldn’t barge in like this. I’ve already interfered too much with your work. Sorry, I’ll just...go.” 

He tried to get up but predictably, as soon as he moved, Mr. Stark’s hand shot out to grip his wrist with a surprising amount of strength. 

“Peter,” he said sternly, “Don’t do that. I told you to come to me anytime you had a nightmare, didn’t I? No work is more important than you, kid. Remember that. Now, do you want to talk about it?” 

Peter would’ve felt bad about lying to the older man, except he wasn’t really lying. He did have a nightmare, it just wasn’t bad enough to warrant a visit to his mentor. 

“No, I-uh it’s alright. But I was...I was wondering if I could just stay here, with you, for a while? It’s just you, and the lab, and the bots calm me down, and I really need it. But you know, it’s totally okay if you’re busy. I can come back another time, no problem,” he rambled, most of it not even a show. The place genuinely did make him relax. And he was so high strung all the time, it didn’t hurt to come down here once a while to just take a break from everything. 

“Oh, Pete, honey, I’m never too busy for you.” Mr. Stark pulled him into his arms, squeezing his shoulders tightly, comfortingly. One of his hands stayed there while the other went to his hair, twisting it around his fingers. It was an action that helped both of them. 

His hugs didn’t hurt either. They instantly made Peter feel safe and warm.

“Are you-Are you sure?” Peter asked hesitantly, the unsure tone coming out naturally at this point. 

“Of course I am, kiddo,” His mentor bent down to place a soft kiss on his hair, and Peter relaxed into him, burrowing his head into his shoulder. Dimly, he registered DUM-E taking the table and tray away (he’d have to thank him for that later), and FRIDAY, angel that she was, turning off the lights completely. 

It didn’t take long before Mr. Stark’s fingers slowly stilled in his hair, and his hand slipped a little from his shoulder. Peter smiled softly. He was finally asleep, and it wasn’t even that hard. Really, the man just needed some encouragement and nothing else. He wasn’t as bad as everyone made him out to be. 

Plus, he knew he couldn’t judge the man. Some of his own habits were equally self-destructive, and he sometimes needed a kick from his loved ones as well. Which is why he didn’t mind doing it to Mr. Stark, whenever he needed him to. 

Peter carefully slid out from under the man’s arm, and lifted him to position him properly on the makeshift bed. The last thing he wanted was for him to pull a muscle or something from sleeping incorrectly. He placed his head on the pillow, and carefully covered him with the blanket. 

His work done, he took a step back and was ready to leave when he heard FRIDAY’s voice addressing him in a low whisper. 

“Peter, how about you take a short nap as well? You could use the rest as well. I’ll inform your aunt that you’re staying over.” 

Smiling gratefully at the wonderful being that was FRIDAY, Peter nodded without any hesitation, and quickly climbed into the bed beside Mr. Stark. It didn’t take him long before his breathing evened out, and he quickly joined his mentor in Dreamland. 

* * *

A couple hours later, Pepper Potts, drained from her day at work, entered the lab, a little apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. 

She wasn’t lying when she told Peter that Tony would do anything for the boy, but she also knew how stubborn her fiance could be. Sometimes there really was no way to get him to budge. 

However, as she walked deeper into the lab, she was pleasantly surprised to find Tony, and Peter, happily sleeping on a pull-out bed (so that’s why Peter ordered that. She was really confused about that invoice), legs intertwined, and peaceful smiles on their face.

On the other side of the lab, she could see the bots carefully looking after a diffuser (so that explained the calming scent), and she immediately understood what had happened. 

All of Tony’s kids had gotten together to take care of their father, just as he took care of them. 

With a soft smile, Pepper exited the lab, knowing she’d made the right decision in calling Peter. 

**Author's Note:**

> my writing style is basically me writing what i want to read. so honestly, expect lots of fluff and tony and peter content, because that's my favorite shit.


End file.
